A gentle travelblog recording the adventures and peregrinations of two humans and their greyhound companions, utilising various modes of transport including two narrowboats, a motorhome and a people/dog carrier

13 June 2008

Wonderful news, folks, the greyhounds afloat movement is growing! This morning I stumbled upon the Indigo Dream blog of Sue and Richard and their faithful hounds, Lou and Blue. I’ve had a quick gorge of the postings thus far, and although it’s early days, the blog certainly ticks all the boxes for me: it’s well-written, witty, erudite, informative, entertaining, nicely illustrated and has a certain panache and joie de vivre about it that perfectly captures the essence of time afloat. The fact that it’s also bursting with grey pics and grey tales is a delightful bonus.

If I ever get my online guide off the ground, Indigo Dream would also be an excellent source of info. Sue is using the blog in place of a ship’s log so is meticulously recording details such as the location of water points and recycling facilities as well as points of interest and general local colour.

This is a typical excerpt:

First stop was Tesco in Bulls Bridge - great 24-hour moorings right by the store - you can bring your trolley to within a couple of feet of the boat - fantastic. So we stocked up for the hols - I went shopping with Richard so there is more in cupboards than just chocolate and beer! There’s also a water point here and good facilities for recycling. Just up the mainline were two BW rubbish barges which are good for getting rid of other domestic waste. On a more interesting front, the Grand Union used to be a major commercial waterway which linked London with the Midlands. Tesco have preserved a bit of this heritage by restoring an old dry dock - it was a great bit of engineering - the ribs which would have supported the boat when the dock was drained were magnificently built of a blue engineering brick with fantastic brick arches all along to allow the water to drain (yes it is Sue writing this - Richard was even more enthusiastic!). What an elegant bit of canal history!

Indigo Dream deserves a wider audience so I hope Granny sees this and gives it a plug.